Charlie
by mebbesumday
Summary: Kurt Wagner isn't sure he's ready to be a father.
1. Chapter 1: Welcome

_Obligatory Disclaimer: With the heaviest of hearts I must inform you that I can claim no ownership of the X-Men or any of Marvel's many superheroes. Likewise, regrettably inform you that I am also not one of Marvel's superheroes myself._

Chapter 1: Welcome_  
_

The clean, white walls of the hospital room reverberated with cries of agony, and a fully grown Kurt Wagner nibbled at the end of his spaded tail nervously from the waiting room. He mentally slapped himself for starting up a habit he had beaten at the age of six and threw his tail aside. Kitty was in pain, and fretting over loud noises wasn't going to make it any better. But it wasn't two howls of pain later that he reverted to his bad habit and bit his tail so hard he jolted. He couldn't help it - he was the father, he should be _in there_!

He shook his head at the scene that had taken place just an hour before. Things had started off so well. Kitty's water had broken at home, and he had wasted no time in teleporting them to the hospital. In haste, he called in a few friends from the X-Men. Then the first contractions came and he let her squeeze his three-fingered hand as she moaned in pain. He smoothed the hair away from her sweaty forehead and kissed her cheek.

"Everything is going to be all right, Kätzchen," he had murmured soothingly to her.

"Kurt, it hurts," Kitty had whimpered back, and Kurt continued to comfort her.

It was when the groans turned to shrieks of distress that he started to panic. And, yes, maybe he had gotten a bit testy when the doctor had urged Kitty to keep pushing despite her pain, but what husband wanted a man coaching his wife while he was between her legs? And, perhaps, he should have gotten the hint when Kitty shouted through labored breaths that him kissing her forehead every two minutes was _not_ helping the pain _or_ her concentration, but wasn't he just trying to be a good husband? But it wasn't until he tried to make the helpful suggestion that she simply phase the baby out of her that all hell broke loose.

"_Kurt!_ I can... hardly... _TALK!_" Kitty growled the last word with particular force as she pushed on the doctor's command. "Powers... _how?_"

"But... but Jean...?" Kurt had gently tried to remind his normally loving wife that Jean had used her telekinesis when her first birth came with some difficulty. She was, after all, on the other side of the room with Ororo, ready to help should anything unexpected occur.

"Kurt... _YOU._ _OUT!_" Kitty shouted with such force that the fearless Nightcrawler, the man who had more than once faced death itself, jumped back and tripped on his tail, catching himself at the wall.

Kurt tried to splutter out apologies as the nurses shooed him out of the room, banishing him to the waiting room with the men while the X-Women calmed Kitty, who was screeching about her husband comparing her to other women. The blue man flinched when a nurse slammed the door loudly behind him. When he finally mustered up enough courage to open up his golden eyes again, he was met with a sympathetic gaze from Scott Summers and an amused grimace from Logan. They'd patted him on the back and after a few encouraging words left him to his thoughts.

But that had been nearly an hour ago. How long could a tiny baby take to enter the world? Kurt's caught his breath as he thought the word. Baby. He was going to be a father. _Mein Gott_, a _father_. And babies. They were so small. What if he crushed the child, his little _Engel_, with his stupid furry hands. He bit the end of his tail. Oh no. Oh no no no no no. The fur. What if their child looked like _him_. Blue, pointed ears, a tail, and _hairy_. To suffer the same fate as its father, called a demon by the children at school, hounded for life... Kurt gulped in great swallows of air and his chest heaved with terror. Or worse, what if his little _Herzchen_ was beautiful like its mother and _feared_ him, _hated_ him, like other children had before. Kurt's pacing picked up speed. No no no. He wasn't ready. Not yet, not to be a father, _Mein Gott_, a _father_. He was only a few years out of college, what did he know? What if he couldn't provide for his children, his wife, his family? Kitty would divorce him, their child would never know him, he was going to ruin their lives, he just knew it -

"_Elf_," Kurt was aroused from his panic attack when Logan grabbed his shoulder with one hand and slapped his tail away from his mouth with the other. "You're going to trip, inhale your tail, and _die_. I know you're worried, but you're pacing, chewing, _and_ hyperventilating. Pick _one_."

Kurt let out an uncharacteristic squeak of embarrassment and tried to grin as Logan growled at him. He felt a witty remark bubble up and die in his throat. Essentially he had succeeded in quivering his lip at a terrifying man for whom he had the utmost respect. Scott Summers mussed his friend's hair in true older brother fashion and sat him down slightly farther away from the door.

"C'mon, you'll be fine," Scott knew what the fuzzy blue boy was probably thinking about. Probably the same things he was frightened about when Jean and himself had conceived a son that might possibly inherit his father's eye-opening, destructive powers. "You've held Chris before, and he loved you. Loves you!"

Kurt smiled weakly as he remembered the first time he held the Summers progeny. He'd shyly denied the offer to hold Chris, a year ago when he'd been born, afraid he'd spook the child with his fangs as he smiled. The kid had just started opening his eyes after all. But after some smacks on the head by his sister Rogue, he had gently lifted the swaddled infant from his mother's arms and cradled him.

"Hello, little heart," He had murmured to the tiny thing in German. "I am Uncle Kurt, a friend of your mother and father. And when you are older, Christopher, we will have great adventures -"

Kurt grinned slightly as he remembered what happened next. Christopher had opened his eyes at his name and promptly sneezed through his swaddling. And gurgled happily, unafraid, up at his uncle's furry, blue, snot-covered face.

"And you roughhouse like no other with the new X-Kids," Logan snarled. "Every day one of 'em's asking when Big Brother Kurt is coming back. And every time you _do_ come back there's a damn huge _mess_ that _I_ end up cleaning."

Kurt's smile was sheepish this time as he remembered the latest victim of mutant powered tag at the Xavier Institute - Logan's motorcycle. The children had quickly scrambled to safety _behind_ Big Brother Kurt as he promised to pay the livid Wolverine for all damages done.

"But it's different this time," Kurt finally sighed, arms on his knees and tail wagging despondently behind him. "Playing with kids that are used to the fuzzy man is one thing, but raising one is a whole different -"

"WAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!"

And there it was. The first cry of his child. Kurt shot up at breakneck speed and dashed towards the delivery room, leaving his friends behind. He crashed through the door and stared in awe at the tiny angel that wailed before him.

Even covered in the mess of birth, the little girl was the most beautiful thing Kurt had ever seen. A small fluff of navy blue hair graced the crown of her head. Her plump pink hands had five perfect little fingers, her tiny feet had five tiny toes, and attached just above her bottom was a perfect tiny tail, covered in blue fuzz. Head, hands, feet, tail, everything about this child was perfect. Kitty smiled weakly as she saw the warm happiness that seemed to be glowing off of her husband's face.

"Come here, fuzzy elf," Kitty beckoned her husband closer and kissed him sweetly. The nurses had finished cleaning and swaddling their child while Kurt had followed his baby around with his golden eyes. They handed the little thing to Kitty, and she cradled her in her arms.

"Charlie, this is Daddy," she touched the infant's nose with her forefinger. Then, she grasped her husband's hand and placed it on their daughter's forehead. "And Daddy, this is Charlie."

Kurt Wagner felt his lip quiver for the second time that day and caressed his daughter's cheek with two fingers. He beamed blissfully at the little girl and fought back a joyful tear.

"Hello, _Herzchen_," he managed to choke out as his wife smiled sleepily. "My little _Engel_, I am your father."

Kurt continued to whisper to his daughter, switching to German. He told her what a wonderful gift she was and how happy he was to see her. He promised to always protect her, and that if anyone dared to tease her for her beautiful tail or her beautiful blue hair, all she would have to do is call for her father, and - _bamf_! - he would be there in an instant. He told her how much Mommy and Daddy loved her and that they would always be there for her.

At least for a moment, a fully grown Kurt Wagner was no longer afraid of being a father, _Mein Gott_, a _real_ _father_! He knew he would have much to learn of course, but he wasn't one to back down from a challenge. Most of all, he knew, he would do anything to make sure he was a good father to his little _Engel_. Sweeping a strong, but gentle arm around his wife and child, he pulled them close and kissed each on the forehead.

"_Wilkommen zuhause_, Charlie," he whispered. "Welcome home."


	2. Chapter 2: Playdates

Chapter 2: Playdates

"Agwaaaahhhglubaahhhh," a six month old Charlie flailed her arms and legs about happily, gurgling at a small ring of baby toys that were dangling above her head. In her glee, she flopped over onto her belly and gooed in confusion when she saw a new set of toys on the floor in front of her.

"Kitty! Kitty, she did it again!" Charlie's thoroughly entranced father was sitting beside her and yelled to her mother who was in the kitchen, taking a much needed break from child care with the Summers, Charles Xavier, and Hank McCoy.

Kitty's reply was drowned out by the crows of a young Christopher Summers.

"Boo! BOO! BOOOOOOOOO!" The little blonde tyke shouted his mispronounced nickname of "Blue" for his Uncle Kurt. He toddled after the man's tail that swung lazily in the air to entertain the child. "Mine!"

Jean and Scott Summers smiled at their son who had only recently learned a few words besides 'Mommy' and 'Daddy,' the most frequent ones being _boo_, _mine_, and _yes_.

"Kurt hardly wants to sleep now," Kitty chuckled. "He like panics when I sneeze, and if Charlie does, he can hear it from the bathroom."

Charles Xavier contentedly eyed his namesake being cooed at by his one time student and smiled. "I daresay it's a nice change for Kurt. Perhaps it will help him understand that not everyone is afraid of mutants with more unique physical appearances and that he is just as human as the rest of us."

_NEEEEUUUUUURRRRRRRRRR!_

Kurt could be heard making airplane sounds as he picked up a small child with each arm and "flew" them around the room, eliciting delighted squeals from both Charlie and Chris.

"And perhaps the child in the man you married will finally have someone _his_ age to play with," Hank grinned widely.

"I heard that, Mr. McCoy," Kurt meandered in and clutched at his chest in feigned offense after placing the protesting babes in the kitchen playpen. "Professor, don't you think a teacher ought to treat his best chemistry student with a little more respect?"

Professor Xavier's eyes glinted teasingly. "Now, Kurt, you can't quite deny that you do have a way with children," he smiled wisely at his one-time student. "And, if I might note it, that you still have a certain fondness for amusement parks and any adventure tales that you can get your hands on?"

"Yeah, yeah," Kurt waved a hand in the air and grinned lopsidedly as he collapsed into a chair beside his wife. "Make fun of the fuzzy dude."

The adults chattered idly, catching up and reminiscing about old times, leaving the mutant children to their own devices. They had become used to each other by now - Charlie used to cry at the sight of strangers, but had recently become accustomed to a tiny blonde fellow toddling around beside her whenever the big man with glasses and the lady with red hair visited. The man with the shiny head seemed to understand her when held her, so he couldn't be so bad. And even though the big blue man didn't smell like Daddy, he was the same color, and that was all right by her.

"Abah," Charlie slapped a hand down in the direction of a rattle just out of her reach.

A brown-eyed Chris stared at the squirmy thing making so much noise before him. It just kept slapping the floor of _his_ playpen and gurgling.

"I wonder if Chris and Charlie will be as much trouble as _we_ were at the Institute," Jean mused as she stirred her spoon around in a cup of coffee.

Christopher Summers glanced up at the big people for a moment, hearing his name. Okay, they were still making big people noises, he wasn't being hauled off for a bath just yet. He turned back to the fidgety pink thing in front of him and his eyes fell on a toy near where she kept slapping.

_Oh, she wants the rattle_, he thought in a baby sort of way. He struggled with a looming possessiveness over his toy, but in the end decided he didn't really want it anyway. _I have my blocks_, he thought, dropping the rattle in the thing's hand.

"When they're already being trained in fighter jet simulations?" Hank quirked an eyebrow. "I don't doubt it."

"Gabahhhhh," Charlie let out a gurgle and a squeal of laughter as she let the rattle fly into a small tower of blocks that her blonde companion had been constructing in the corner. The toddler scrambled towards the other corner as they came tumbling down.

_Okay_, he thought, _whatever it is, it's stupid_.

Kitty giggled. "Yeah, Kurt might as well be a biological X-Jet with the amount of _'fuel'_ he eats," she teased.

"Heyyyy!" Kurt grabbed his wife by the waist and growled playfully at her.

The fidgety thing in _his_ playpen was slapping the floor and reaching for _his_ rattle again. Chris ignored it for a while until it grabbed his toes to get his attention. He was taken aback by its bright blue eyes and toothless smile, and against his better baby judgment placed the rattle into its little hand while he continued to stare.

"I still worry about sending Charlie to Bayville sometimes, though," Kurt rested his chin on top of his wife's head pensively.

_Oh, that's right_. Chris remembered now. His pen-mate was a little girl named Charlie that Boo and Kee brought with them every time they visited. He'd played with her last week too.

"Why's that?" Scott questioned as the other adults leaned in, curious.

Suddenly Charlie's tail swung around to poke Chris's chubby cheek. He grabbed the spaded end in his pudgy fist, causing Charlie to let out a peal of high pitched laughter.

"That maniac Kelly is superintendent now," Kurt sighed. "His mutant menace campaign isn't going to wait until high school to harass my little _Engel_."

Chris looked at the fuzzy appendage in his hand. _Boo_,he thought instinctively. The Summers progeny looked again at the giggling, restless girl and felt a happy feeling bubble up in his chest. _This is different than how I feel with Boo's tail_, he thought as Charlie drooled on his foot. He tried to articulate it in his mind.

"You know we won't allow any of _Superintendent_ Kelly's anti-mutant nonsense get to your daughter, Kurt," Hank peered over his glasses at the younger X-Men. "Or your son." He nodded towards Scott and Jean.

"And that is one thing that you can _always_ count on," Charles added.

Chris wasn't sure how to articulate it, the feeling that was welling up in his little heart at that moment. He concentrated.

"Youuuu." He murmured quietly, bopping a still grinning Charlie on the head. No, that wasn't quite it.

"It's not that I doubt that the Institute is the right place for our children to grow up!" Kurt said quickly and squeezed Kitty's hand for support. "But Chris doesn't... have the one-of-a-kind-look that Charlie and I are burdened with. Who's going to take care of our little _Engel_ when we're not there? She could wear the image inducer, yes, but what if they find out? What if they bully her? Who will -"

"Me."

The adults turned suddenly to the playpen to find Chris wiggling his toes at Charlie and looking at her intently. _Still not right_, he thought.

"What was that, Chris?" Jean leaned over the playpen, perplexed.

Chris looked up again at the mention of his name, and at the sight of his parents, a light bulb suddenly went off in his head.

"You! Me! Mine!" He loudly declared, wrapping his plump arms around his pen-mate's head. _That'll do for now,_ Chris finally settled on an utterance that would express the warmth in his heart.

A short silence fell over the older mutants. Kurt quirked an eyebrow, Kitty and Jean began to giggle hysterically, and the rest of the men stared, baffled.

"Is _your_ son hitting on _my_ daughter?" Kurt cracked a sharp-toothed grin and chided Scott.

"I, uh..." Scott couldn't help but start chuckling himself, and the other adults began to smile as well.

Kurt walked over to the playpen and looked the little blonde haired boy straight in the eyes.

"Are you going to take care of my little _Engel_?" The blue-haired man smiled.

Chris looked up at Kurt and grinned.

"Mine!" He babbled, smacking himself in the nose.

Kurt beamed at the assertion and ruffled the child's hair before picking both infants up and bringing them to the table with the now laughing adults. Professor Xavier and Mr. McCoy smiled complacently at the scene before them. The future seemed, indeed, a little bit brighter.

* * *

_Author's Note:_ _It is with the heaviest of hearts that I inform you that I do not own Marvel's X-Men, nor am I one of Marvel's X-Men myself. But I do hope you enjoyed the second chapter of Charlie. If y'all notice any inconsistencies or have any suggestions, y'all are quite welcome to point them out. Perhaps the notion of a baby thinking he's in love is rather ridiculous, but I'd like to think it's ridiculous in a romantic sort of way._

_I plan to flip updates on Charlie and Riff Raff, Charlie being a lighter collection of cute (look out, MS is about to use big words that sound right) vignettes and Riff Raff being a heavier sort of tale with one of them fancy plotlines and everything. I hope that you will have as much fun as I plan on having._

_Best,_

_MebbeSumday _


	3. Chapter 3: Birthdays

Chapter 3: Birthdays

Kitty Pryde was many things. She was a protector of the peace, defending innocents alongside the X-Men for many years. She was a dear friend, willing to drop anything at a moment's notice to help a pal in need. She was an excellent wife, showering her husband with affection , and a spectacular mother, able to sense the needs of her daughter before Charlie even mentioned them.

Yes, Kitty Pryde was many things.

But a good cook was not one of them.

"Kitty, why are you still up?" Her husband emerged from the cockpit of the X-Jet. He'd flipped on the autopilot for a moment to see his wife. "You need your sleep, Kätzchen."

She looked up at her spouse from the book she had been studying intently - _50 Simple Cakes for Any Occasion_.

"I've been looking at these recipes for an _hour_ and I still don't know which one to make for Charlie's birthday party!" Kitty wailed as her husband settled into the seat next to her.

"Darling, I think you might give our daughter the best birthday present ever if you decide to buy the cake instead," Kurt teased gently as he snuggled close to his wife and buried his nose in her neck. "Not to mention that in doing so you will spare the lives of all of our friends and their children."

Kitty shouldered him off and stuck her tongue out at him while he chuckled. Most everything had been planned out perfectly. Early tomorrow, after this mission, she and Kurt would return to the Xavier mansion where a surprise party would be held for five-year-old Charlie. It was a simple assignment - a mine had collapsed in on itself, and the local officials were afraid any digging would disturb the unstable mines further. So Kitty and Kurt had been called in to pull the trapped miners out. Their daughter was probably sound asleep by now, cuddled up with Kitty's old stuffed dragon in a room reserved for her when her parents had to leave their regular jobs to attend to their duties as X-Men. As for the party, almost everything had been taken care of. Invitations to all of Charlie's friends (mutant or not) and their parents had been sent, birthday presents hidden, and decorations purchased. The only thing left now was the cake, which Kitty intended to bake as soon as they made their early morning return to the Institute.

But to Kitty this cake wasn't just something that could be purchased from any bakery. She couldn't count the number of times in the past few months that she and Kurt had been called away from their daily jobs to save a portion of a world that seemed to be in constant turmoil. Sometimes they were the only ones from the X-Men that were even called away from the Institute. The power to phase through solid objects and teleport people away from danger were seemingly always in need. And each mission away from home meant a quick ride in the X-Jet to drop Charlie off with the Professor before they headed off to save to world. Kitty and Kurt were often torn - they could never leave the X-Men because they wanted to make the world a safer place for their little girl to leave in. But it also meant leaving their daughter behind, sometimes for days, even if it was with family and friends that she adored. One month it had gotten so bad that Charlie began to bawl every time she heard the phone ring. So to Kitty this cake was so much more than just a pastry. It was a testament of a mother's unwavering love for her child.

At the back of both of the young parents' minds was a banished thought. Forever there, scratching, nagging to be let free from its chains. But Kurt and Kitty refused to think that one day the risks that came with being part of the X-Men would take their toll and that they would have to watch over their daughter from above. But come hell or high water, they were _not_ going to die on Charlie's _birthday_.

"The greatest threat that we will face in the next twenty-four hours, Kitty, is the monstrosity you will stick in the oven no matter what I say," Kurt stroked her hair, as if sensing what had caused his wife to furrow her smooth brow. Teasing had always seemed to be his way of alleviating worry. "Everything will be fine."

With a kiss to Kitty's forehead, Kurt headed back towards the cockpit. Suddenly, something slammed into the right side of the plane, sending Kurt flying. Kitty caught him midair and they landed in a pile on the floor. After ensuring he was okay, Kitty dashed towards the window.

"Famous last words," Kitty grumbled as she gaped at the sight. Kurt scrambled over.

The two parents looked at each other desperately.

Half the wing was on fire and they'd soon be hurtling towards the ground.

* * *

"I'm sure they'll be back for dinner," Chris had been given the task of distracting Charlie while the adults were setting up for the party. They were confined to Chris's room in the mansion until further notice. The boy was staring intently at an action figure with his hand stuck out in front of him. Nothing. He narrowed his eyes at his desk chair and concentrated. Still nothing. The boy rolled his eyes in irritation. At the tender age of seven, he had a knack for words, or so his teachers at Bayville Elementary said, but had yet to have any powers bestowed on him from his active X-Gene. Perhaps a larger vocabulary made him a good student, but it was rather _boring_ in his opinion. So, although he knew his powers might not manifest in the exact way his parents' had, he figured testing for telekinesis, telepathy, or powers of ocular combustion would be his best bet. Genetics, after all.

"Will you _please_ stop _sulking_ in the corner?" He begged his best friend and blew dirty blond bangs from his eyes.

"I don't know what that means," Charlie mumbled, chin on her knees. Her tail lay limp and sad on the carpeted floor, and her normally bright blue eyes looked at her companion despondently from under a cascade of indigo hair. The peach colored face she'd inherited from her mother contorted slightly in annoyance. "Leave me alone."

"Sulking means you're _pouting_ like you're in time out," Chris snatched a brush and hair band off of his dresser. Nudging Charlie's tail out of his way with his foot, he sat down and began to brush her hair. The movement of the comb on her scalp soothed Charlie - even though he was only a year older than her, Chris could do her hair almost as well as Mommy.

Having her hair brushed was a simple thing, but a treat for Charlie when her parents were away. It was a tradition that had started a year ago when Chris had been under the impression that his mind had to be completely relaxed for telekinetic powers to take hold. And nothing else made him feel more relaxed than Charlie's happy face. So, for the greater good, he'd trashed his previous concept of manliness and learned how to do hair.

And he did it damn well.

As for Charlie, she enjoyed any time she could spend with Chris, who had permanently moved to the Xavier Institute with his parents when she was three. There was no one she trusted her life with more, save for her parents of course, and she missed her playmate sorely, even though he only lived ten minutes away by X-Jet. They'd toddled together, learned to swim together. And once Charlie realized that although she'd inherited her mother's face, she had her father's knack for acrobatics - well. They'd had wonderful games of tag and hide-and-go-seek after that.

"That's why no one wants to play with you at recess," Charlie had cheered up a bit, enough to tease her best friend. "'Cause you act like a smarty-pants."

"If everyone else didn't insist on acting like a complete ignoramus, maybe I wouldn't have to," Chris cheerily increased the level of his vocabulary in a way he knew would annoy Charlie. "Can you imagine? Being an instructor, relegated to a class full of children who care nothing about mathematics or history, attempting to instill upon them knowledge that mankind has taken centuries to develop -"

"You just like to talk," Charlie laughed, knowing that wasn't the way the blonde boy usually spoke.

"Mmf," Chris thwacked her lightly on the head while he held bobby pins in his mouth. He'd finished the braid and was tucking in flyaway hairs.

"Do you think Mommy and Daddy forgot today was my birthday?" Charlie frowned suddenly, her eyes downcast.

Chris finished sliding the last bobby pin into his friend's indigo hair. He calculated carefully. He wasn't stupid, he knew that Blue and Kee should've been back this morning, as per the adult's planning. It was already two in the afternoon. He finally decided that it would do no good worrying her now. She was turning six, after all.

"I'll bet you anything that they're out getting you the best present ever," Chris grinned convincingly and held up a mirror for her to inspect his work.

That seemed to mollify Charlie. Chris was glad she still thought like a child and was relatively simple to please. The two kids chattered amiably about cartoons and school until the door burst open.

Charlie's Auntie Rogue stood in the doorway, biting her lip. Chris narrowed his eyes, confused. Mister Logan was supposed to be the one to summon them to the kitchen, under the guise of a game of tag with the other mutants living at the Institute.

"Kids, could y'all come into the kitchen please? We need to talk about something."

* * *

Charlie sobbed quietly at the kitchen table that had been adorned with confetti. A huge birthday banner cast a forlorn shadow over the room and presents sat, unopened, in an unlit corner. The guests had all been sent home. Rogue and Chris had tried to get Charlie to eat a little ice cream, but to no avail.

"Sweetie, ah know they're lookin' for your parents right now, and there's no better tracker in the world than Mister Logan," Rogue rubbed the child's back. "And they won't come back until they find them."

Chris winced as Charlie's body jerked with a howl and fresh tears. Mister Logan was now in South America as Wolverine, along with Storm, Iceman, Boom Boom, and the Summers. Beast was with Professor X, manning Cerebro and a number of other computers, trying to find Nightcrawler and Shadowcat. And to determine if they'd even survived the crash.

Charlie had started bawling the moment Auntie Rogue had explained why her daddy couldn't simply teleport them out of the X-Jet and why her mommy couldn't phase them away from harm. Chris himself had a silent stream of tears trailing constantly down his cheeks. What were they going to do if Blue and Kee didn't make it? Surely she would always have a place at the Xavier Institute, wouldn't she?

Finally they heard the whir of a helicopter landing. Charlie's breath caught in her throat. This was it. The team was home. After hours and hours of agonizing waiting, they'd come back. She was paralyzed with fear and held her breath.

Wolverine crashed through the door with a scowl on his face. The little glimmer of hope in Charlie's eyes died. She coughed violently, throat racked with sobs.

"Sorry, kid," Wolverine pulled his hooded mask back. "Looks like some anti-mutant _traffic_ made your parents late for your birthday party."

Suddenly Charlie's sobs were replaced by a strangled cry of joy. Her father, hobbled in, fur singed and dirty, supported by Iceman. Her mother limped in, similarly carried by Storm and sporting a splint on her right arm. But they were alive. _Alive!_

"Oh, _Herzchen_, our little _Engel_, we are so sorry for making you worry," Kurt cried openly in relief as his daughter rushed to throw her arms around her parents.

"Charlie, oh, thank goodness," Kitty blubbered and squeezed her daughter to her chest. "Oh, sweetie, I'm so sorry. Your birthday and we didn't even get the cake and we're so late..."

Charlie laughed through her tears. Her parents were so silly. She may have only just turned six years old, but cake, ice cream, decorations - it was nothing compared to this. This was... This was...

"This is the best birthday present _ever_!" Charlie finally choked out. Then words were lost to her. She nestled further into her parents' loving grasp and said a silent thank you for the greatest gift that could have ever been given to her - her family.

* * *

_Author's Note:__ It is with the heaviest of hearts that I inform you that I am not the creative owner of Marvel's X-Men, nor am I one of Marvel's X-Men myself. I do, however, hope that you enjoyed the third chapter of Charlie. If y'all notice any inconsistencies or have any suggestions, feel free to point them out. Is there too much Charlie and Chris and not enough Kitty and Kurt? I wonder. I felt it would be hard to care about the struggles of being a parent and a member of the X-Men if you weren't given the story of the children as well. Think that's all right?_

_I thought it would be nice if Kurt called Charlie his little _Engel_, since he himself was always regarded as a demon by people who didn't know him. My other story, Riff Raff, is in complete shambles and needs to be redone, so for now I will be focusing on Charlie and rewriting the first chapter of Riff Raff to make the story simpler. _

_Best,_

_MebbeSumday _


	4. Chapter 4: Thunder

Chapter 4: Thunder

_CRASH!_

Kurt flinched at the crack of thunder and flash of lightning that shattered the quiet atmosphere of his home office. It had been a long time since thunderstorms caused him to curl up into a ball and whimper through the night, but he still never slept well when they rolled into town. Not without Kitty, anyway, and she had a late night going at the magazine. So, when it started pouring about five minutes after he tucked Charlie into bed, he figured he might as well get some work done too.

_KER-CRASH!_

Kurt frowned peevishly at the sky as his tail twitched in irritation. Okay, so maybe he was a grown man of thirty, and maybe thunderstorms still sent unpleasant shivers down his spine. But he had a child now, and it wouldn't do to let poor Charlie see her _Pater_ quaking over a bout of poor weather.

_BOOM!_

He clenched his hands and sighed. This was a particularly bad storm, and it didn't help his nerves that he and his wife had hardly escaped a plane crash just a few months ago. Kurt tried to think happy thoughts, but he couldn't block out the constant roar of thunder and clashing swords of lightning. He remembered when Kitty had found out about his fear of stormy weather. They had been dating in college. Up until then he had hidden it so well...

* * *

KABOOM!

_ The sudden crash of thunder jolted Kurt from his sleep and he looked towards the window in panic. He immediately snapped his eyes shut and clapped his hands over his ears. He curled into a ball under his covers and began his stormy ritual._

_ "It is just a storm_ Dummkopf_, and there is no one with pitchforks or torches in here," he mumbled to himself._

_ A deafening roar sent Kurt's heart racing._

_ "You are not a little boy anymore. You are an X-Man. You are safe here, you are -"_

CRASH!

_ Kurt shook his head, whimpering. This wasn't good. He had an exam tomorrow, and it looked like he wouldn't be sleeping tonight._

_ "Kurt?"_

_ He nearly leapt out of his skin when a cool hand touched the blue fur on his back._

_ "Fuzzy, are you all right?"_

_ Kurt turned around and peeked through his eyelids. Oh, that was right. He and Kitty had studied late into the night, so she stayed over at his apartment. He tried to settle his breathing._

_ "J-just a little scare, _K- Kätzchen_," he stuttered to his girlfriend. "It's okay. G-go back to sleep."_

_ Kitty propped herself up on an elbow and stared, worried, at her normally cheerful fuzzy elf who was shivering under the blankets. Over the past few years, few secrets remained between the X-Men. She, as well as the others knew about that night - the storm, the mob, the weapons, the torches, the hateful words. But she had no idea that something from his childhood still affected her boyfriend so adversely._

_ "Kurt..."_

_ He bit his lip and clenched his eyes shut again._

_ "I-it is a silly thing to be afraid of," Kurt tried to laugh at himself. "I can move to the couch if it bothers you." _

_ Kitty was silent for a moment and thought. He was so afraid. But what could she do?_

_ "No, don't," instinct took over when Kurt slowly crept towards the edge of the bed, trying not to bother his sleeping girlfriend. She wrapped her arms around his torso to keep him from leaving. "It's okay. Everyone's afraid of something."_

_ "I-I'm p-practically a grown man and I s-still find stormy weather s-scary," he gave a weak chuckle but relaxed slightly in Kitty's arms. "It is silly."_

_ "It's not silly, Kurt," she reassured him, and used one hand to pet the fur on his chest and pressed her lips lightly to his shoulder. "Are you still scared?"_

_ "A... a little..." Kurt took his hands away from his ears to hold Kitty's. _

_ She turned him around and kissed his nose. He opened his eyes and, smiling gently, pulled her close._

_ "How 'bout now, fuzzy elf?" Kitty grinned slightly._

_ "Just a bit," Kurt replied. _

_ She kissed him full on the lips and continued until every thought of angry mobs calling him a demon melted from his mind and the only thing he could think of was the love of his life sitting here with him. Something about her made him know he was safe and that the his past wasn't going to hurt him anymore. Kitty stayed up with him until he fell into a deep, comfortable sleep. _

_ He aced his physics exam the next day too._

* * *

Kurt grinned sheepishly at the memory as a little blush painted his cheeks. He didn't know what he'd do without his wonderful wife.

"Daddy?"

A sudden flash of lightning flared across the sky and Kurt swiveled his chair around to find his sleepy - eyed daughter, dragging her stuffed dragon behind her.

"Charlie, what are you doing awake?" Kurt scooped up his daughter and walked towards her bedroom. The whole house shook with another crash of thunder and he gritted his teeth. "It's way past your bedtime."

"The thunderstorm gave me a nightmare," she mumbled sleepily.

"It will not hurt you, _Engel_," Kurt knew the feeling all too well and tucked his daughter in. "I promise."

"The kids at school said it's silly to be scared of things that can't hurt you," Charlie muttered, hugging Dragon close.

Kurt frowned. "No, _Herzchen_, it is silly to believe that even the bravest of people are fearless," he didn't want his daughter growing up afraid of lightning. At least not the way he was. Missions in the rain were a waking nightmare for him when he was in high school, but he did what he had to in order to serve his role as a member of the X-Men. "What is important is that you don't let your fear stop you from being brave."

He had an idea.

"Would you like to hear a story about why lightning is so loud?"

Kurt spun a wonderful tale of clumsy sky dragons that liked to play tag in the dark. They bumped into clouds, sending rain from the heavens and shot lightning from their mouths with a roar so that they could see their friends. Charlie loved stories that had to do with dragons, and soon she was sound asleep.

Charlie's father smiled lovingly at his daughter and felt a wash of calm come over him, despite the percussive din of thunder outside the house. He brought his laptop into her room and settled on the floor, in case she woke up.

As soon as she heard the storm, Kitty had rushed home to make sure Kurt was okay. It was eleven at night when she stumbled in through the front doorway, her hair slightly damp. To her surprise, she found her husband sleeping peacefully on the floor of Charlie's bedroom. His laptop had been discarded to the side and his lips curved upwards ever so slightly. Kitty beamed and went to shower and change into her nightclothes.

"My brave, brave fuzzy elf," she whispered, laying a blanket over Kurt and snuggling up beside him.

The entire family slept soundly that night.

* * *

_Author's Note:__ It is with the heaviest of hearts that I inform you that I am not the creative owner of Marvel's X-Men, nor am I one of Marvel's X-Men myself. However, I do hope that you enjoyed the fourth chapter of Charlie. If y'all notice any inconsistencies or have any suggestions, feel free to point them out._

_I know Kurt never actually mentioned the angry mob thing in Evolution, but I figured if it was in the comics, it would've been covered if the series had continued. I'd like to think that Kitty would make him feel safe in his younger days, and knowing that his daughter was safe made him feel safe as well when he got older. Hopefully that is acceptable._

_As for Riff Raff, I decided to go ahead and just run with the storyline as I have it right now. I'm a little worried about it being too complicated to flesh out, but I guess you never know until you try. The second chapter has gone up if you want to give it a gander._

_Best,_

_MebbeSumday _


	5. Chapter 5: Mothers

Chapter 5: Mothers

"Mommy, Daddy, I made a new friend today," Ten-year old Charlie skipped through the front door of the Wagner household and found her parents looking suspiciously concerned about a letter they were reading. "What's that?"

"Ah, it's nothing, _Herzchen_, just some more work for Daddy," Kurt Wagner quickly wiped away any trace of worry and smiled at his only child.

"Holo-watch and shoes off, Charlie," Kitty reminded her daughter and quickly placed the letter in her husband's jacket pocket. While their daughter hadn't developed mutant powers yet, the young parents were still afraid that her unique appearance might cause her some difficulty at school. But at home, they never wanted her to be afraid of being herself, tail and all. "Why don't you tell us about your new friend?"

"Well, her name's Mallory," Charlie stepped out of her tennis shoes and nonchalantly tossed her holo-watch onto the coffee table. "And she's really cool! We played a lot of tag at recess, and then we sat together at lunch. She knows a lot about science and stuff - she said it's because she moves around a lot and reads lots of books. She even knows about the stuff you and Auntie Jean study, Daddy!"

Kurt raised his eyebrows. A fifth grader that was already interested in the anatomical differences in telepathic brains _and_ bio-chemical structures that caused physical mutations from the X-Gene? He'd seen stranger things, but this was... interesting.

"Oh, I also got on the math club at school. Coach said that it's okay if I miss a few soccer practices, because school is important too. But I bet Uncle Pietro could get me there fast enough so that I won't have to miss either one. Don't worry, I didn't tell anyone that he's a superhero or anything. And today in English, mean old Ricky Matthews -"

Kitty and Kurt listened to their daughter talk about her day at light speed. She was becoming quite the chatterbox, and there were few things the Wagners enjoyed more than knowing that their daughter was thriving in school. For the moment, they put the worries that had been brought in with the mail disappear.

* * *

"Kurt, I can go with you," Kitty crossed her arms, pleading with her husband and looking on with worried eyes. She knew how much it upset him every time this happened. "Please let me go with you. It always turns out the same."

"Yes, but people can change," Kurt slipped into his X-Men uniform and pulled out a dark, hooded robe. He closed the door to the dresser quietly so as not to wake Charlie. Her room was only down the hall from theirs. "And besides that... She gave birth to me."

"But you won't let me go because you're afraid that _Mystique_ will try to hurt me or Charlie. It's not like I haven't gone face to face with her before," Kitty frowned and knitted her eyebrows together. "And if I recall correctly, all of us went when I wanted to reconnect with my father."

"Yes, _Kätzchen_, but the only dangerous things about your father are his admirable attempts at cooking and his prejudice against mutants," the blue-haired man pulled on his robe and kissed his wife on the forehead. "One of which was cured by a certain granddaughter wrapping her tail around his wrist while he held her, and the other of which seems to be a curse that will forever haunt the Pryde family and those who come over for dinner."

"Kurt!" Kitty smacked her husband's shoulder and he chuckled, pulling her into a tight bear hug.

"It's just a visit, Kitty," Kurt petted his wife's hair to comfort her. "I promise that nothing will happen. Just look at what happened with Pietro. He's a full-fledged member of the X-Men now. He even lets Charlie call him uncle."

"He's still kind of an ass," Kitty laughed, vaguely placated, and Kurt knew that she was referring to last weekend when Quicksilver had made dodging Kitty's freshly baked muffins a training exercise for the new X-Kids.

"One step at a time," Nightcrawler smirked teasingly and stepped backwards from his Shadowcat. With a puff of smoke and the scent of sulfur, he was gone.

* * *

"You're late, dear," a red-haired woman pulled down her hood and smiled thinly at Kurt as he reappeared. He took in his surroundings. Another old construction site. It was practically a tradition now.

"You have a bad habit of sending invitations to me a few hours before you want a family reunion, Mystique," Kurt let one side of his mouth turn upward. He still couldn't bring himself to call her _mother_ again, not after what happened last time. But still. Ever since the stone statue incident, he was just happy that she was alive.

"I know you know how busy we are, Nightcrawler," Mystique tilted her head to the side and let Kurt remember the most recent battle they'd had with The Brotherhood. "It's so nice when we can catch up without fighting each other. How is everything?"

Kurt fought the urge to chatter at light speed about everything that had happened in the past six months since he'd been able to talk to his birth mother like this. Somewhere inside him was still a ten year old boy that wanted his mother to smile at him and ask about his day, just like he and Kitty did when Charlie walked in through the door after school each afternoon. But he had the distinct feeling that nothing had changed. And until then, he wasn't going to give Mystique the satisfaction of knowing.

"Work is going well. As for _other_ work, well... you know. Kitty was promoted at the magazine. And Charlie made a new friend at school today. She can't stop talking about her."

At the mention of her granddaughter, Mystique smiled a bit more softly.

"I actually have something I wanted to talk to you about, dear," Mystique stepped closer to Kurt and gestured for him to sit next to her on a steel beam.

Nightcrawler's heart pounded. Maybe he was wrong. Maybe something had changed. Maybe his mother was ready to join the X-Men and...

"I think it's time that Charlie joined The Brotherhood."

_What?_

Kurt's jaw dropped ever so slightly. He tried to formulate words, but in his shock all his motor functions seemed to be failing him. _How_ could Mystique even _think_about such a thing?!

"Hear me out, before you protest, darling," Mystique tilted her chin downwards and looked sternly at her son. "It won't be long before Charlie's X-Gene is fully activated, and when that happens, not even a holo-watch will keep her safe if that _fool_ Kelly somehow allows another sentinel to roam free in Bayville. The Brotherhood can provide Charlie with the protection and skills she needs to -"

"The _X-Men_ can provide Charlie with the protection and skills she needs to be a _child_!" Kurt slammed his fists into the metal beam with a clang, startling the older woman.

"Dear, she needs to learn that not all _Homo Sapiens_ are good. She needs to learn that _Homo Superior_ is the only species that she can trust. And she needs to learn that she doesn't have to hide her uniqueness because she is, in fact, _Superior_."

"What she _needs_ to learn is that _everyone_ is _different_!" Kurt growled and stood. "Perhaps children will fight, but all children do that. They don't aimlessly destroy others with their powers or because of their powers. They fight over their differences, with fists and cruel words, but together they learn that powers or not, the world will never be a peaceful place for either _species_ unless we realize that we are _all human_! And I will not have my _only daughter_ poisoned into thinking that _anyone_ is less than human!"

"Kurt, wait -"

"This is not up for discussion," the man narrowed his yellow eyes at Mystique and stalked off, disappearing without a single glance back.

* * *

Both the Wagner parents had the morning off, and Kitty noticed that Kurt was in a particularly foul mood. She decided to let it slide until Charlie dashed out the door in order to catch the bus to school.

"Fuzzy, did something...?"

"We can protect her, can't we?" Kurt looked up from his newspaper and coffee. "I know we have to hide her tail right now. Just like I did when I was a child. I _never_ want Charlie to go through what I did as a child. But she is who she is. Will we still be able to protect her when her X-Gene is activated?"

Kitty's eyes widened a bit in surprise as she began to understand what her husband was so worried about. And then she smiled gently at him when she remembered how silly such worries were.

"We'll ask Charlie tonight if she's ready to share her pretty blue tail with the rest of the world, Fuzzy Elf," Kitty tweaked her husband's nose and giggled. "And if she is, we will support her through any trouble that might cause. We did it as children, and Charlie can do it too. Besides. We're X-Men. What's the worst that could happen?"

* * *

"Hey, mutie, heard you made the _math_ team," Ricky Matthews jeered as Chris, Charlie, and their friend Stephanie stepped off the bus.

"I'm sure you would have been able to pass the entrance exam as well, Richard," Chris raised an eyebrow. "Obviously you made the decision to stay a grade behind in order to continue to torment Charlie, since being in competition with _me_ seems to have been too much. Surely re-taking it a second time would have been a breeze."

Charlie looked down as she tried to walk past a furiously blushing Ricky, but was stopped by a thick hand gripping the front of her shirt. Her feet were lifted off the ground. Even though he was a whole year older than her, the Matthews boy was still big for his age.

"My _dad_ told me all about your parents. And the apple don't fall that far from the tree," Ricky growled.

"No, apparently it _don't_," Charlie rolled her eyes and mocked him, trying to be brave. It always worked for her parents, the snarky retorts.

"I _think_ this may have been why my mom dumped your dad for mine," Chris gripped the larger blonde boy's wrist so hard he was forced to drop Charlie. Chris was still small, but living with his parents at the Xavier Mansion had left him stronger than most sixth graders. With few other children his age to play with in the mansion, he often joined the new X-Kids recruits in training. "You just don't know how to play nice."

"And even if their parents _were_ X-Men," Stephanie, who was a pretty red-headed girl in Chris's, put her arm around Charlie and led her away from the two boys, who seemed to be sizing each other up. "You really think that the best thing for your health is to try and beat up their children? Try picking on someone in your own grade, Ricky."

Stephanie took a quick step forward towards the larger boy and he jumped backwards. She grinned and crossed her arms, triumphant. Despite her small stature, the girl was a year older than both Chris and Ricky. She'd been held back a grade because English wasn't her first language. And besides being a bright student, she was known for not taking any nonsense from boys she considered immature.

"I thought so," Stephanie tossed her ponytail. "C'mon, squirt. If he gives you any more trouble, let me know."

Charlie smiled and waved as Chris and Stephanie walked towards the middle school. Sometimes it was nice having older friends.

None of the children noticed a tall, dark-haired woman watching, frowning, in the distance. She walked away into a thicket near the school. A few moments later a young girl came out.

* * *

_Zzt!_

"Ow!" Charlie squeaked from the bathroom stall. Her holo-watch had been shocking her since lunchtime. She must've tossed it onto the coffee table a little too hard yesterday.

She glanced behind her and sighed. Still a tail. The blue-haired girl fiddled with the buttons on either side of the watch.

_Zzt!_

"Augh! Finally!" The young Wagner whooped and slung her backpack across her shoulders just as the end of school bell rang. If she could just get to the schoolyard to call her parents, she could hide out in the woods until they came to fix her watch.

"Hey!"

Charlie nearly jumped out of her skin as a pretty blonde haired girl walked into the bathroom.

"Geez, Mallory, you scared me!" Charlie laughed. It was just her friend washing up before math club.

"Well, that's what you get for skipping the last ten minutes of English! By the way, you should really get that watch checked out," Mallory eyed Charlie's hand that was still nervously handling the accessory. "It was practically sparking at lunch. It's... kind of doing it now."

"Hahaa, yeah..." Charlie muttered as she saw little bits of electricity forming around her wrist. She had to make a break for it _now_. "Hey, I'll see you later, Mal!"

"Charlie, wait -"

But the Wagner girl was already dashing towards the front door of the school. She couldn't have stayed in the bathroom - Mallory might ask questions. She shoved through the throng until she finally got outside. Thank goodness! Just a few more seconds and...

"Well, well, well, what's got _you_ in such a rush, mutie?" Ricky Matthews stepped in front of her, with a nasty smirk and a glint in his eye.

"I don't have time to deal with you right now, Rick -"

_Zzt!_

"Ow!" Charlie shouted and gasped. Her watch had shorted out and her tail was visible. To everyone in the crowded schoolyard.

A silence fell over the children and out of the corner of her eye she saw Chris and Stephanie making their way towards her. _Maybe it's not such a big deal..._ Charlie thought nervously. _I mean, Daddy's all blue and furry, and I just have a tail, and after everyone at his high school got used to it, they didn't care... Maybe..._

"I _knew_ it!" Ricky pointed an accusing finger at Charlie and sneered. "She's the daughter of one of those _freaks_! Those _things_ that Superintendent Kelly was trying to _protect_ us from!"

"Shut up, Matthews," Chris stepped out in front of Charlie, followed by Stephanie. They both stood tall and shot Ricky a warning glance.

"So what if she's a mutant? She sure acts a lot more _human_ than you do," Steph crossed her arms and growled.

"If you're with them, then you're just as bad!" Ricky howled, shoving Stephanie aside and punching Chris hard in the jaw, trying to get to the Wagner girl.

"Charlie?!" Mallory's voice rang out from behind her, but Charlie was frozen in panic. This was _exactly_ why she wore the holo-watch. So who cared if she had a tail? Who cared if she didn't? But this incident was exactly what she wanted to avoid! "Charlie, dear, move!"

She saw Ricky rushing towards her, but the blue-haired girl still couldn't move. She heard Mallory shrieking, but the circle of children that had formed around them kept her away. Chris was recovering from a hit he hadn't expected. Charlie braced herself. She'd waited too long to move!

"Didn't I tell you to pick on people in your own grade, Matthews?" Suddenly Steph moved back in front of Charlie and shoved the offending boy backwards. "It's just a tail! Calm down!"

"She's got powers! _They_ all think they're so good, and it's up to _us_ to show them their place!" Ricky screeched and shoved Steph back so hard she crashed into Charlie and they both went tumbling to the ground.

"If you touch any of them again, you _will_ regret it!"

Charlie groaned in pain and looked up. Mallory fought her way through the noisy crowd and fiercely looked up at the Matthews boy.

"Yeah? And how's that, twerp?" Matthews tossed his backpack so that it hit Charlie square in the stomach and she wheezed.

"That's _it!_" Mallory snarled and jumped higher than Charlie had ever seen someone in her grade jump. She slapped Ricky in the face and started shouting about _Homo Sapiens_ and why couldn't he be like that red-haired girl? When he slapped her back, Charlie saw her new friend do something even more surprising. She bit his arm so hard he screamed.

"AUGHHHHH!" Ricky clutched his arm and yowled. "Are you crazy?"

This was all too much over a little tail. She heard grownups rushing in to stop the fight. Everything blurred and Charlie started to feel dizzy. And then she did something that Chris would never fail to remind her of every time she faced death as a future X-Man without batting an eyelash.

Charlie Wagner fainted.

* * *

"Hey, thanks."

Stephanie looked at the little blonde thing sitting beside her in the front office and blinked.

"Thanks for what...?" Steph raised an eyebrow. What was her name... Mallie...? Mallory?

"For sticking up for Charlie," Mallory paused for a moment. "Even though you're not a mutant."

"Oh!" Steph shrugged, still confused. "Haha, it's no problem. She's one of my best friends! Besides, you did the same thing. Too bad we get detention, though."

"Yeah, too bad," Mallory smiled at the floor.

The two girls sat in silence for the next few minutes, swinging their legs. Chris's parents had come to pick up him and Charlie, and Ricky's mother had picked him up a few minutes ago. Mr. Wagner was in the office, talking to Principal Wilkins.

Finally, Stephanie's phone buzzed. She picked it up and Mallory could hear a woman shouting on the other end. Stephanie rolled her eyes and snapped her phone shut.

"Well, that's my mom," the red-haired girl sighed. "You need a ride home?"

"It's quite all right, Stephanie," Mr. Wagner stepped out of the principal's office and crossed his arms. "Principal Wilkins told me that _Mallory's_ parents are at work, but I can drop her off at home. It's on the way."

Stephanie looked from the girl to the older man a few times.

"Do you two... know each other?" She asked.

"Oh, we're like family," Mallory grinned.

* * *

"I'm surprised you didn't morph and kill that Ricky kid," Kurt Wagner couldn't stop smiling as he drove Mallory home. Strangely, a dark-haired middle-aged woman sat in the passenger's seat.

"Oh, dear, I'm not fond of destroying _children_," Raven Darkholme drawled and inspected her fingernails. "And there _were_ so many of those little _Homo Sapien_ spawn."

"Including the one you thanked and the one you held back on," Kurt pointed out happily.

"Thanks is given, where it is deserved," Mystique replied flippantly. "And whatever do you mean by held back? As I recall, I made him bleed. He isn't worthy enough to touch _my_ granddaughter."

"Please," Kurt rolled his eyes, still grinning. "You slapped him and bit him on the arm. You fought like a ten-year-old school girl."

"It was what the character required, darling," Mystique attempted to dismiss his argument.

They stopped at a red light and Kurt looked pointedly at the older woman.

"Oh, all _right_," she sighed and crossed her arms. "Perhaps... Perhaps some outside of the _Homo Superior_ species can be trusted. _Some_. And perhaps not all of them have to... die in order for us to live. But they must _understand_ that we are not to be trifled with or _bullied_."

Kurt laughed happily.

"But that is no excuse for the shape that you've let Charlie fall into," the woman lectured him and he couldn't help but continue to chuckle at her stern tone. "Just because she's a child does not mean she should not be _prepared_ for people like that... _Ricky_. She shouldn't have to hide her entire life, and neither should you, or any of us! What have you been doing? Letting her play soccer and that's it? She _froze_ in the middle of a fight! No training? No combative exercises? Do you expect her to learn how to control her powers herself once she develops them?"

Kurt hadn't been in such a good mood for a long time. Even though he was being lectured, he couldn't remember the last time he'd been parented. Not since he left Xavier Mansion. He was almost sad when he reached the old construction site and put the car into park.

"If Charlie's not going to join The Brotherhood, you had better train her to become the _best_ of the X-Men. And I mean it, Nightcrawler," Mystique looked at the younger man and placed a hand on the car door to get out.

"Why, Mystique, did you just openly say that you wanted your granddaughter to join the _X-Men_?" Kurt feigned surprise.

Mystique frowned, morphing into her true, blue form. "If she is not with me, this will be the best training that she will get. It shows," the woman smiled thinly and stepped out of the vehicle. "And it's in our blood to succeed."

She started to walk away, but Kurt jumped out of the car.

"W-wait!"

The blue-skinned woman paused and slowly turned around.

"I-I'm..." Kurt stuttered. He couldn't say exactly what he wanted to say. It didn't feel right, quite yet. But he had to let her know that _something_ had changed. "I'm very... _proud_ of you, mother."

Mystique's eyes widened for a second, and then the corners of her mouth turned visibly upwards. If Kurt could have ever imagined the villainess beaming, that would have been the image in his mind.

"I've _always_ been very proud of you, son," Raven Darkholme replied. Then, she walked through a maze of metal constructs, and was gone.

Kurt stood there for a few moments, not exactly sure what to feel. He would always wish his mother was with him. He had his own family now, and he wanted her to be there to watch it grow. Something had changed, but it wasn't enough for him to fully welcome his mother back into his life. Not yet.

Humming happily to himself, Kurt Wagner stepped back into his car and drove home to his family. He was still smiling to himself when he turned the key in the lock and saw his beautiful wife and loving daughter. Shutting the door behind him, he walked into the warm household.

One step at a time.

* * *

_Author's Note:__ It is with the heaviest of hearts that I inform you that I am not the creative owner of Marvel's X-Men, nor am I one of Marvel's X-Men myself. However, I do hope that you enjoyed the fourth chapter of Charlie. If y'all notice any inconsistencies or have any suggestions, feel free to point them out._

_I honestly don't know if Mystique would have a full change of heart about mutants and humans. I'm not familiar enough with her character to actually know, hahaa. But she's Kurt's mother, and mothers want the best for their children (spawn, haaah) and grandchildren (grandspawn, hahaa). _

_On another note, it is far too late (early?) on a school night for me to be writing again. Alas. _

_Still working on the fourth chapter of Riff Raff and I have an idea for the sixth chapter of Charlie. She's got more than one paternal grandmother, doesn't she? _

_Best,_

_MebbeSumday _


End file.
